Active RFID systems are widely used to identify and track components in aircraft and other structures. Active RFID systems include RFID location tags equipped with a lithium battery that may last about 3 to 5 years. Although the battery is enclosed inside the tag hardware, the RFID tag cannot be placed in certain areas surrounding and inside the aircraft in confined space. Use of RFID tags is specially restricted in aircraft final assembly operations and is limited during the aircraft ramp and flight tests.
Since the final location of an RFID tag in an aircraft may be unpredictable, it is desirable not to limit the use of RFID tags to only certain areas of the aircraft. Such limitations would require resources to control where the active RFID tags travel and are placed and, thus, may impede the affordability that can be gained using RFID technology.
Accordingly, a universal, cost-effective device is needed to safely contain any type of active, battery-operated RFID tag in a variety of environments.